July 4, 2019

England 2019: Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds Part One

If you’ve not yet read about my solo adventures in Newbury and Bath, you might want to head there first. After three days into my England trip, I drove north to the Cotswolds for the Flutter Magazine Retreat. For about a year, I’d had my eye on the retreats hosted by Flutter Magazine and Joy Proctor. I finally signed up for their Cotswolds adventure and am thrilled to share some highlights from the first half of the retreat.

Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film 

Norton Hall Welcome Party

Norton Hall, a private estate, served as our lodgings for the week. It’s tucked away in Mickleton, England, and surrounded by acres and acres of land. The driveway to the property is flanked by large grass pastures inhabited by sheep. It doesn’t feel much like the English countryside without livestock! Once inside our rooms, we opened our gift of a beautiful Plum Pretty Sugar robe and a bottle of rose mist from Herbivore Botanicals.

Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Pink rose bush, Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film

Sheep crossing a road. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmSheep crossing a road. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film

Plum Pretty Sugar robe gift. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Plum Pretty Sugar robe gift. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
 
On the first evening, Kim of Flutter Mag and Joy Proctor put together a gorgeous welcome dinner. Floral centerpieces by Bows and Arrows adorned the center of the linen-covered table. Despite the rain pushing the dinner indoors, everyone had a wonderful time sipping rosé and eating delicious meals cooked by Eat 5 Star.

Dinner tablescape styled by Joy Proctor and Bows and Arrows Flowers. Blue chinoiserie tea cups, grey linen, taupe tall candles, and centerpieces with mauve, ivory, yellow, and green. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film

Dinner tablescape styled by Joy Proctor and Bows and Arrows Flowers. Blue chinoiserie tea cups, grey linen, taupe tall candles, and centerpieces with mauve, ivory, yellow, and green. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Dinner tablescape styled by Joy Proctor and Bows and Arrows Flowers. Blue chinoiserie tea cups, grey linen, taupe tall candles, and centerpieces with mauve, ivory, yellow, and green. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Dinner tablescape styled by Joy Proctor and Bows and Arrows Flowers. Blue chinoiserie tea cups, grey linen, taupe tall candles, and centerpieces with mauve, ivory, yellow, and green. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Dinner tablescape styled by Joy Proctor and Bows and Arrows Flowers. Blue chinoiserie tea cups, grey linen, taupe tall candles, and centerpieces with mauve, ivory, yellow, and green. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Dinner tablescape styled by Joy Proctor and Bows and Arrows Flowers. Blue chinoiserie tea cups, grey linen, taupe tall candles, and centerpieces with mauve, ivory, yellow, and green. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
 
MonAnnie provided us with exquisite desserts. Just wait until you see the cake she created for the farewell dinner!

MonAnnie desserts styled by Joy Proctor. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
MonAnnie desserts styled by Joy Proctor. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
MonAnnie desserts styled by Joy Proctor. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film 

Cotswolds Villages & Dinner at Barnsley House

Saturday morning, we had a watercolor lesson. I forgot to photograph it on my film camera as I got wrapped up in my attempt to paint. I managed to snap two iPhone shots at the end.

Rosie Harbottle Watercolor class on the Flutter Magazine RetreatRosie Harbottle Watercolor class on the Flutter Magazine Retreat
Rosie Harbottle Watercolor class on the Flutter Magazine Retreat
 
Thankfully I had my camera on our village outings. We began our trip in Broadway – a charming Cotswold village with adorable boutiques.

Broadway village house in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmBroadway village house in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film

Broadway village house in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Broadway village pink flowers and bumblebee in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Broadway village house in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmBroadway village house in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds at Norton Hall in Mickleton, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film 
Our next stop was in Stow-on-the-Wold, a market town in Gloucestershire. Clearly I have a thing for houses covered in greenery!

Stow-on-the-Wold village house in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England.Stow-on-the-Wold village house with ivy and French blue door in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmStow-on-the-Wold pink rose bush in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film

Stow-on-the-Wold The Organic Shop in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Stow-on-the-Wold pink rose bush in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Stow-on-the-Wold village house with ivy in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film 
Lastly, we made our way to Bibury which was very obviously a tourist destination. Dozens and dozens of people filled the streets for the right photo opp. Many of the homes had signs asking people to not enter their yards. I imagine living in such a beautiful area comes at the cost of privacy.

Woman in beige sweater and jeans taking a photo. Bibury village house with in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film

Bibury village flowers in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Black and white spaniel and brown spaniel in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Black and white spaniel and brown spaniel in the Cotswolds. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film 
Before heading back to Norton Hall, we toured Barnsley House which is a stunning spa resort in Cirencester.

Thank you to April Belle for the photo!

Barnsley House Hotel. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmBarnsley House Hotel chicken coop. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film

Barnsley House Hotel woman in grey sweater and pink shirt in a flower bush. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Barnsley House Hotel chicken coop. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
 

Cooking Lesson at Daylesford Farm

Our cooking lesson at Daylesford Farm probably tops my list of highlights from the Flutter Magazine Retreat. Upon arrival, we were shown into the private kitchen for our lesson. Our first task was to make pasta dough from flour, eggs, salt, and a little olive oil. Much easier than I thought!

Daylesford Farm pasta cooking lesson ingredients of eggs, flour, salt, and olive oil. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmDaylesford Farm women making pasta dough during a cooking lesson. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film 
After making our pasta dough and setting it aside to proof, the chefs gave us a long tour of the farm where we foraged vegetables and herbs for our soup. Although most of our trip featured rainy days, our afternoon at Daylesford Farm couldn’t have been more pleasant!

Daylesford Farm woman foraging in the gardens. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Daylesford Farm women foraging in the gardens. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Daylesford Farm woman foraging in the gardens. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmDaylesford Farm pig. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Daylesford Farm woman foraging in the gardens. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Daylesford Farm wooden basket filled with carrots, radishes, strawberries, arugula, and green onions.. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
Daylesford Farm woman holding carrots harvested straight from the ground. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film 
We returned to the classroom kitchen to make our vegetable soup. Radishes, asparagus, thyme, lemon, salt, a few more vegetables, and Daylesford-made vegetable broth went into this delicious dish. Once our soup was made and enjoyed, we took our pasta dough back to our stations to prepare it for cooking.

Daylesford Farm vegetable soup styled with fresh thyme. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film

Daylesford Farm pasta making class: cutting the pasta. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmDaylesford Farm pasta making class: kneading the dough. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmDaylesford Farm pasta making class: cutting the pasta. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmDaylesford Farm pasta making class: cutting the pasta. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on filmDaylesford Farm pasta making class: serving pasta in a pesto sauce. Flutter Magazine Retreat in the Cotswolds, England. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film 

I had such a lovely time learning to make pasta and making new friends. The meals themselves were just as good as the memories. Afterwards, we strolled through the gift shop. Their flower shop caught my eye and I couldn’t help but use the last of my film roll on their display. Part Two of the Flutter Magazine Retreat and part three of my England adventures goes live soon. Check it out for our trip to David Austin’s Rose Farm!

Daylesford Farm flower shop display. Photo by Cavin Elizabeth Photography on film
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